Love is Brightest in the Dark, but Strongest in the Flames
by naniyoi
Summary: The 100 year war never happened, Aang was never frozen, and Katara and Zuko have never met. The Southern Water Tribe and The Fire Nation have been having some disagreements lately, so they finally settle on one thing to clear the water between them; political marriage. Chief Hakoda's daughter, Katara, would be sent to the Fire Nation to be married to Prince Zuko, the son of Ozai.
1. Chapter 1

The peace between nations was an important thing; something that needed to be kept stable at all times. If it was possible for there to be a simple solution to keeping the peacefulness between the four nations, it was hoped that the rulers would do so. But every once in a while a certain ruler didn't want to compromise or settle for something simple; and that's when war broke out. Thankfully, this was not one of those times. This was one of those times where small dispute after small dispute happened, and the two rulers would decide to do something a little more than just sign a simple treaty. No, this time wasn't just a simple treaty signing. The Southern Water Tribe and The Fire Nation needed to settle its ground once and for all, and there was a simple solution to that. Fire Lord Ozai proposed that his son, Prince Zuko, would be married to Katara, daughter of Chief Hakoda. Hakoda had not been too fond of sending his daughter off to the Fire Nation to be married to some random person, but Katara had insisted that she would do anything to keep the peace between nations. That she didn't want to be the reason this little disagreement elevated into a war. She had never met the Prince; but she had hope that he would not be as cruel as she had heard the Fire Lord was. Maybe she would get lucky and this wouldn't be too bad.  
"When Katara was led off the ship that had brought her from the Southern Water Tribe to the Fire Nation Capitol, she looked around at the change of scenery. It was a much different look than the snowy biome of the Water Tribe. After all, the Fire Nation was really just consisted of many islands clumped together, so the temperature here was much more tropical; and clearly much warmer than the South Pole. It was such a change, much different than what she was used to. She wasn't against the idea of change and starting new in a new place with a new friend whom would be her husband, but she just didn't know how long it would take her to adjust. She didn't know anyone here; she'd never been out of her Tribe at the South Pole. She would have to learn so many things, especially given that the Fire Nation was usually depicted as a bunch of sticklers and stuck up prudes; though those were likely rumors, Katara knew that the Nation was highly respectful of honor and class. Katara would need to know how to act in this place so she wouldn't be judged, or any other consequence that may happen. She heard that the prince was burned simply for speaking out of turn; it seemed quite harsh to her. Speaking out of turn? How did that qualify for someone to be scorched?  
"Katara didn't meet a single person on her way into the palace, as the servants directed her straight into a bathroom and, before she could protest, was stripped and guided into a bathtub filled with warm water. She sunk into the water with a soft sigh. Though before she could truly relish her time in the warm water, her arms were lifted out at her sides and scrubbed down, a servant on each side, and two more further down at the foot of the bed who washed the remainder of her body. Katara knew it was simply a bath (despite the oddity that four others were present during her bath time), but it felt like her homeland was being washed off of her. She was stripped of her native clothes, and they were quickly folded and placed off to the side, with more elaborate reds and golds sewn together, folded and stacked ahead of her blue clothing.  
No sooner was she finished being scrubbed down were the servants undoing her braid and taking out the blue beads in her hair. Her head was tilted back and she was instructed to wet her hair, and she did so, coming back up to find her hair now being lathered with a floral scented shampoo, and so many sets of hands scrubbed it through her hair, before she was nudged down under the water again and her hair rinsed off. When she arose from the water, the process of scrubbing in and rinsing put went on another time or so, before they helped her to stand, and she was dried off by once again, all four servants; three at her body and one to dry her hair, and the towels were wrapped around her.  
She was led out of the room, two servants showing her to her room while the ones left each took a pile of clothes. The one with her old clothes stowed them away in a drawer of the dresser in the room she arrived in. Katara had a feeling she wasn't going to be ever wearing those again, but that they allowed her to keep them maybe as a reminder of her homeland, since she traveled here with really just herself. The one carrying a array of red and gold fabrics set the pile on her bed; clearly it would be what she was wearing. She wondered what it would look like on her? Would she look alright in the clothes they picked? She assumed looks would matter at such an occasion. She would be meeting her fiancée today, and she supposed it was customary in the Fire Nation to dress formally for things as important as this.  
"Katara's towels were pulled away from her and the servants walked off with them, before returning to help dress her. Katara was adorned in a deeply red, near crimson kimono, with an over-tunic placed overtop of her. It was white, with the outer most part of it rimmed in red, and an adornment of red flowers arising from the bottom and splayed on the white brazenly. She had a golden sash tied around her waist, which matched the fabric at the edges of her sleeves, at the bottom of her robe, and at the collar, traveling down the rim of the opening. She was given a simple pair of red slip on shoes, which she assumed where plain because they wouldn't be seen from under her kimono, and she was sat down at a vanity. Almost immediately, her hair was pulled back from her face as it was combed, and the three other servants began spraying fruity smelling scents onto her skin, and putting eyeliner onto her, as well as bright red lipstick. She had thought she'd be donned in more makeup, but she was in quite simple makeup. Maybe they weren't so superficial here after all. Her hair was tied back at the top into a topknot, which was secured with a golden ring that had a red Fire Nation insignia on the front, and the rest of her hair was straightened time after time until it was pristinely straight. She felt like a completely different person; especially with the natural waves of her hair gone. But maybe these things were just experimental, because no one here had truly met her. And she had a feeling the servants were really given free range of how to dress and make up Katara and anyone else who would stay long term with the Fire Nation royal family, so they were testing things with her. Katara supposed she couldn't say much about it, because she knew she'd have to be changed into the reds and golds of the nation, so who was she to judge?

Once she was finally ready to appear at the feast she would attend for the royal family to announce the Prince's engagement, she was once again, led out by four servants whom she would have to learn the names of. She was seated on the left beside a young man, who she assumed would be the prince. She wanted to speak to him, to try and get to know the man she would end up marrying in a little while, but her words caught in her throat. She hadn't seen him before, and hadn't directly looked at him aside from the angle she got siting next to him, but she noticed the pinkish color or scar tissue; he had a large burn scar on the left side of his face, over his eye. His eye was near seared shut, as the skin around it made his eye permanently half closed. The rumors had been true, she thought. The Prince HAD been burnt. Though if it was truly for the stupid reason she had heard rumored that it was, she felt sorry for her future husband. That must've been something hard to deal with. She wondered if he ever got quite a bit of comments on the scar across his face.


	2. Chapter 2

The dinner had been pretty boring, mostly politics and small talk she didn't understand because she was new here, and the Fire Lord making a huge notion that their feud with the Souther Water Tribe was finished with. He introduced Katara to the vast table of people, and she felt her face heat up when all eyes were on her; especially the eyes of the boy seated beside her. Her future husband, she may add. She was thankful when the commotion died down and they ate, the others at the table engaging in small talk as Katara ate and kept to herself. Every once in a while she would peak at the one seated beside her, curious to get to know him better. Even if just by looks at first. But eventually well, he noticed her looking. "Hey." He greeted her in a soft voice, and wether it was not to frighten the foreign girl, or just so they weren't overheard, she didn't know.

"Hi." She murmured back, biting her lip as her eyes met his. Even with the one morphed into a permanent grimace, his golden eyes were.. Handsome. Beautiful. She felt a little skip in her heartbeat when they met her own eyes, which seemed such a boring blue compared to seeing his now. She was nervous and unsure about this, but at the least, he seemed like a civil person.

"Katara, right?" He asked her quietly, though he sounded more nervous that he may have gotten her name wrong than he did almost.. Smug and aloof, hardly remembering her name. She was relieved he was nervous like she was; she was afraid he would be as cruel and loveless as the rest of the royalty in the nation seemed. But it seemed he wasn't like that; though this was just her first impression of him. She hoped he held true to it and really wasn't so bad, because it would be a shame to see him act so much differently. This sweet, shyness was such a nice exterior, she hoped it wasn't just skin deep.

"Yes." She nodded. "And, Prince Zuko?" She questioned, a little smile appearing as she spoke his name. She was glad they were seemingly getting along; mostly because they were to be wed tomorrow. He nodded in reply, and smiled at her just a bit, before they turned back to their meal and continued to eat, before the meal was finished and they were sent back to their rooms for the night. Well, Katara supposed the others around here could do as they wished, but she found that while she was still considered a foreigner, and someone in the palace still not related by blood or marriage to anyone in the royal family, so she supposed she should just stay in her room.

Though when she got back to her room, she found the servants waiting to undress her and dress her for bed. She was stripped from her fancy clothing down to her under wrappings and she was put in a robe and sat down. They took the topknot out of her hair, and brushed her long locks out, though her formerly wavy hair was still straightened and falling down a little further below the small of her back. She was then stripped of her crimson robe and adorned in a matching night gown, and the servants bowed respectfully in turn to her as they left her for the night, the last one closing the door behind them. Katara sat on the edge of her bed, the silken sheets feeling foreign beneath her as she sighed, and laid back on the bed, the smooth silk cool beneath her. She felt so alone and alienated here, she felt so out of place. A waterbending tribeswoman in a palace of firebending lords and ladies and princes and princesses and so many other royal titles that she just couldn't even keep track of. She didn't belong here, yet here she was.

She had to remind herself she was here for a reason, even if she didn't truly fit in. She would learn to fit in. Or she would learn to ignore her differences and respect the new cultures and ways of the place she now dwelled. Because she did this for a reason; and that was to keep the peace. To end any fighting and keep any wars from breaking out. She did this to keep the peace between her homeland and the alien place she lived in now. She knew it would be odd and difficult to adjust at first, but she could do it. The waterbender had been faced with challenges before; like being one of the only waterbenders at the South Pole, so she could handle many things. This marriage thing; she could make this work. It was for the good of the two nations, and this marriage could pan out well if she tried at it. If they both tried at it. He seemed like a considerably good man, someone she could be with and someone who could work with her well. Someone willing to try at this marriage because he wanted it to work as much as she did. He was no different from her; they were both people. Both people who clearly craved romantic attention, and it was being set up for them. They could try this. Katara knew she was willing

Katara sat up on her bedspread with newfound confidence, and she smoothed the sheets beneath her, like she was taking the first step into accepting this new lifestyle. She had come to terms with this marriage; that once again, it was something she needed to do. And it didn't just need to be a task, it could be something wonderful. A relationship that might work out well. This could be good for her. It would give her a new life and a new look at it, too. She could handle this. She was already accepting her marriage, and now she was learning to accept this new life. Though a full transformation and coming to terms with this would take a while. But she didn't think anyone expected her to instantaneously change to be a perfect little Fire Nation lady and be so honorable and lovely and fit in the second she set food on the islands. No, she didn't think nor hope that anyone was thinking that. Because it would take time. But she was glad she knew she could move forward, that this wasn't something she was going to be completely against for so long before she even thought about changing to enjoy this. It was her life now. Why be so prickly? There was no changing this. She could live with this.

And finally, when her session of thinking that must've lasted some odd ten to fifteen minutes, she crawled beneath the silken sheets and laid on her back, once again staring at the ceiling of her bedroom. She felt her eyelids grow heavy and threaten to fall and pull her into slumber, but Katara felt like staying awake. She felt like there were so many things to think about and consider and go over in her head again and again because this was all so new. It was like everything she had just sorted out with herself (which she was sure everyone though she already knew, but Katara never focused on coming to this place before actually getting here), had disappeared the second her body hit the satin sheets and her head the feather soft pillow. She wasn't even used to the level of fancy living, this royal treatment she would receive here. It was completely different than what she was used to; though not like it would be too hard after a little while to get used to being catered to.

Waking the next morning, Katara rolled over lazily in her bed, her eyes taking a few moments to part after she grew conscious again, and she rubbed them to adjust to the lighting. She yawned, but stayed laying down lazily in her soft bed, not wanting to get up. Though she was prompted by a servant at the threshold, who called her to get up and report to the bathroom so she could be bathed, then eat breakfast with her soon-to-be husband this morning before it was time for the wedding. She was a little nervous when she heard the word "wedding", like until now it hadn't truly sunk in that the young girl would be wed off to someone she hardly knew; but that was the reality of it. She was a little queasy, but she tried to push it aside, let it dissolve and she could just be okay. She wanted to be okay. This was real. It was happening. Even if she weren't, it was too late to back out of anything now. It was better she accepted it and got along with her life the way it would be down than drone on about how horrid and different it was and how she just wanted things to return to normal. They wouldn't return to normal, so what was the point of it all? She should just be happy

Katara finally got up from her large bed and walked groggily to the bathroom, still sleepy from before but ready to get the ball rolling on today, which was one of the most important days she would have in this nation. When she entered, just like before she was stripped down and guided to the bathtub, sunk into the warm waters. Her body was scrubbed and her hair washed and conditioned. She was out as quickly as she was in, and then dried off, and led back into her bedroom where, of course, servants where already waiting with new clothing to don her in for her breakfast. She was slipped into the simplest of crimson kimonos, detailed with golden edges and patterns at the corners of her robe, tied around her waist. It was simple enough, though still more extravagant and fancy than anything she ever did and ever would own back home, for that matter. She was then sat down and yet again, her hair was brushed out.

Her brown locks had fluffed back up into their wavy fashion again, the precious straitening of them done away with when she was emerged in water, and she assumed that the servants had simply decided to give up straightening out her hair. It would be a task to do it every single day. Instead, her hair was all tied up into a large topknot, which was secured with a familiar golden band from before. When she was finally finished being readied for back home, would've been such a simple meal that all she had to do was show up for, she was led to the dining hall. She hardly spoke with her servants, only quick thanks and polite words were exchanged, and it was odd. But she didn't question the customs before she knew them. Well, she tried not to

She was sitting at a much smaller table this time, one small enough to still seat at least eight people, but only she and her betrothaled, as she said back home, were seated. Servants came around to well, serve them, but only Katara and Zuko sat. She turned to him as she finally settled down, when all the servants had left and they were alone. This had to be the first time they were really, truly alone, she thought. Despite the knowledge that guards were waiting outside the doors for their protection, they were alone. It was alone as they would ever get, really, and she was thankful for it. "Good morning." She greeted him quietly, as if she was a little nervous about just speaking to him. Normally Katara was not a bashful girl, but such a powerful, and such a royal member of the nation was to be wed to her. Not that she cared for titles, but someone so high up in their little hierarchy here was a little intimidating, though he always seemed to be content and well endowed, and he'd only ever spoken to her in nice terms. Though she didn't doubt the firebender had anger issues; because so many did. It was a natural thing, she supposed.

"Morning." He greeted back to her, a little less formally and a little more curtly. He seemed to be a bit nervous and uneasy this morning; which she could understand, given what would be taking place in a matter of hours. But she didn't like to see the person she was to be married to so troubled. She looked to him, eyes filled with concern, hoping he'd look up and let her help out and make him less worried and wary of this, but his eyes remained on the plate in front of him, staring at the breakfast prepared for them. She soon felt a little conscious of ogling at him, and began to eat her own, her thoughts drifting off of all her own worried and onto him. He would be her husband, and they would be together. It wasn't a marriage meant for love, no. It was to keep the peace. But Katara couldn't help but hope that they DID fall in love; she didn't want to be stuck in a marriage where she couldn't be in love with someone.

Finally, she swallowed her pride (and her wariness) and spoke up. "Are you.. Nervous?" She asked him, biting her lip as she waited for his answer. She never even held a true conversation with him, and they were going to be spouses. It seemed insane to hear it out of any context, but it was the reality of it. She decided she should try and make some sort of conversation with him, to try and know him a little more. She's gotten here so suddenly and everything seemed so rushed. The second she finished one thing she had to do another, or a servant did a another for her and she was to be present because it was usually dressing her or bathing her. She wanted things to slow down for the two of them for a moment, so she could get to know him. To know the one she'd be with forever. She would do that. She was jerked from her thoughts when she heard the low noise of his voice, and she smiled just a bit at it. "A little." He admitted, his eyes cast away almost shyly, but Katara only smiled more at this. "I am too." She murmured. "It's scary." She said softly. "But.. You don't seem like the worst person to be with for a while." She concluded, and she noticed his eyes flicker up to land on her for a moment, as if such a silly, and honestly not great, compliment meant a lot to him. She was glad.

The wedding idea was scary at first, but they both seemed to come around to it. She knew he was wary, and she was too, but this would work out. Because well, they didn't have a choice. But they were both willing and young individuals who could handle this right? They could wed for the peace of nations (at least, Katara could), and they could handle this. At least, Katara could. Until she remembered one key element of the marriage when the ceremony came to and end and they joint to stay together in one room; and that was that they would need to consummate their marriage tonight.


	3. Chapter 3

"The thought occurred to her so suddenly it was as if someone else had sprung it on her. Like someone passed her casually as they walked and just whispered, "yeah, you'll have to sleep with the Fire Prince tonight to 'seal the deal'." The words echoed in her head like she could hear someone saying them, and she swore she was just thinking the worst of things, but of course, she wasn't. That was how marriage worked; they were wed and they needed to finish it... in that way. Katara didn't think that thoroughly through, though if the thought even passed her mind, did she not dwell on it because.. she liked it? That she felt like she could do that? It was a scary thing to think about, that she could be wed and gain a husband, a life partner on the same day she lost her virginity. Yes, it sorta felt like killing two birds with one stone, but what if she didn't want that? What if she wanted to chose two different times and places to catch each bird; and maybe she wanted a... different weapon for each of them? What if she wanted to try a weapon the... exact opposite of the one she was being tied to? Well, it was obviously too late for... weaponry shopping, since she was pretty much taken in to the one she had now. It felt a little saddening that she had her life planned out now, that she wouldn't date anymore. Not another girl or boy or anyone on her arm but the boy she was sitting beside at the lonely table, eating their breakfast. At first thought, it seemed bad. That a sixteen year old girl would be cut off from normal teenage experiences and wed for the sake of politics and country disputes. Life overturned and choices made for her; and it was sad. It was upsetting to cause someone that, as well as having to deal with it. But she was never one to decide her opinion on something base on just her first thoughts on the topic. She always felt there was a need to expand on things, that she couldn't just pick up a book and read the first page without trying to think that it could be different that her first impression was trying to manipulate her to believe.  
She would have a more prosperous life here. She would never have so many riches and adornments back home in her tribe. Not that she was sticking strictly to the fact that this was good only because it was more money, it was saving her family money from having to bring her up as a child. Then again, that was pretty lame reasoning for leaving her home high and dry. But there were other reasons yes, and she'd thought them over in her head again and again and she didn't need to trouble herself with all these thoughts again.  
Because the real issue here was she was dealing with losing her virginity. She knew she had to be wed and she had to go through this to end the feud between the two nations, so they could prevent a war. Katara simply marrying Prince Zuko was the simplest solution to the problem, and she couldn't argue that this was the best way to do it. She didn't want to be the cause of anything more elaborate or destructive for that matter taking place to settle the score between the water tribe and fire nation, when she could've stopped it by offering her hand in marriage. But guilt wasn't the only thing that prompted her to do this. It was a moral devotion to her nation and to the peace of all the nations, that she needed to do this. She could handle this; she wasn't the weak little girl she used to be. She was strong. She didn't feel strong though. She only just remembered that she had to consummate their marriage a href="x-apple-data-detectors:/1"tonight/a, and that scared her. She was scared about losing her virginity, and that made her feel week. Everything was tied into some huge horrible feeling and she wished she could just get over this. Though something in the back of her mind made her a little sure that she would  
So finishing up her breakfast she was escorted back to her room. She had about an hour of leisurely time which she spent practicing her bending with the waterskins full of water they thankfully hadn't taken from her. She knew she wouldn't be losing her waterbending abilities simply because everything here bent fire. She wouldn't let go of something so strongly tying her to her homeland that she would near be rendered a nonbender. She would bend as much as possible to keep her skills intact. Maybe the Prince would spar with her, once they were wed. And speaking of the wedding, she knew the servants would arrive to undress her and then redress her and style her hair and set her out to be married  
As if on cue, servants arrived and Katara was stripped down to her under wrappings and dressed in a quite elaborate wedding kimono, adorned with reds and golds and white on each of the additional accessories draped over another on her simple robe, a mostly white tunic put on top of all the other clothes and secured with a golden sash around her waist. The white was to represent a happy day, an especially joyous of occasions. Marriage. It certainly wasn't something that happened for people every day. After she was dressed, she was then sat down and her hair was brushed out, any mats or knots pulled out and leaving her hair with a slight shine after it was brushed. It was then styled all into a bun atop the crown of her head, and a golden band with a red Fire Nation insignia was clasped to the front of it, holding the bun in place on her head. She looked in the mirror as the finishing touches were added to her wedding appearance, which was black eyeliner applied over her eyes, but no other makeup was added to her.  
Katara stood at the foot of the aisle, staring down the crimson carpet as she heard the music ringing in her ears, tempting her with its gentle sway of tune and swagger of new sounds in her ears, but the beauty background a noise. She was about to be wed, and it was one of the specialists, most important days of her life. It was an arranged marriage yes, and she hardly had the time to spend with her husband to be, but she had the feeling something just might happen with this. She felt it in the very pit of her stomach to the very crown of her head, that this was going to work out somehow. She hoped her instincts were correct. And as her instincts (and those butterflies) make her stomach churn, it was time to walk forward, gentle steps thumping softly on the floor as she walked forward, the tune growing softer as she approached him, the space between her and the alter growing smaller and smaller till there was nothing, and it was only her and the groom. And she turned to him, her blue eyes meeting his golds ones, and she swore she saw a glint of happiness, of pride over being married, even to a woman he scarcely knew. Maybe he was just hopeful, like her.  
The words spoken to join them in matrimony were only half heard by her, as she prepared herself for the emotions that would come with this ceremony, of the intimate touches and ways that she would slip into in this new bond between her and another. She was tuning the words out subconsciously as she knew the kiss of the wedding approached quickly, and she didn't want to ruin something so precious and important to the ceremony, and it was making her anxious and a little nervous, so many butterflies too. When the words were spoken and it was time for the first 'seal of approval' on their wedding day, she leaned in and her lips were met with his, eyes shutting as they joint in a kiss. It wasn't the first kiss she'd received, but it was the shyest. And definitely the first she received in front of a group of strangers, but she moved past the audience, and they broke away, her eyes near immediately averting in a bit of embarrassment.  
And so the first part of the ceremony was over, this meant the next part was on its way. And the next part was more private, more secluded. But it was also more heavy, more intimate. It was more intense and more meaningful than a simple touch of the lips to join in marriage. This was the consummation of it, and Katara lens this was what would declare them tilt married, and that their marriage would be in good will from those spirits above. Oh La and Tui above her she hoped she could get through this night without being too nervous and inexperienced for her first time. But perhaps, since he was about the same age she was, he wouldn't have done this either. But she didn't know. She wished she'd had more premarital time to speak to him. But there was no way to fix this now. She had to experience this night for all that it would be because, after all, she would only lose her virginity once


	4. Chapter 4

Katara and Zuko had been socializing with those at the party for a little while, though after hours had past and night had fallen, this darkness that showed outside the drawn drapes told them it was time the wedding came to a close. And the married couple said their goodbyes to those who were leaving, then said their good nights to the elder people and high officials of the palace (most of which didn't return it with a goodnight and rather a good luck, knowing neither of them would be sleeping much tonight). Katara felt butterflies return and her nervousness ebbed at her belly as she tried to bring herself back down to earth. It was truly time to take this step, and he had to be sure she didn't mess this up for him.  
The couple had been led to the Princes room (as he was the one who'd originally lived here, it made sense for her to emigrate to his room). The servants bowed in respect and wished them both luck as they exited the room, leaving them alone with one another and big bed behind them, freshly washed sheets calling out for them, but they both seemed to nervous to answer the phone yet.  
Katara turned to Zuko as she stood before him; he was a little taller than she was, but not by so much that there was a dramatic height difference. Her eyes met his and for the first time, she didn't feel like tearing away her gaze and flushing as how his golden eyes made her heard skip a beat, the way his handsome, though seemingly cute and childlike all at once appeared in her eyes, the way he hardly smiled but Katara knew she would be amazed at how attractive the curve would look on him. She never noticed before, but he was handsome, aside from the fact that his scar protruded onto his face. But somehow it tied his appearance together and he was still attractive to her. She couldn't imagine him without it  
"Sorry." She apologized softly when she realized she was staring after his eyes averted, and she swore she saw the smallest of blushes appear on his unscathed cheek, and the thought of him getting a little shy over her staring made Katara smile a bit. She stepped closer to him, as she was trying to move forward with this but not so fast that either of them were uncomfortable or unready for this. They needed to do this; but they could do this at their own pace. His gaze turned back on her when she was closer. He lifted his hands to rest at her waist, though nervously and unsurely, like he wasn't sure this was what he was supposed to be doing and that he was giving her time to object to his touches, but she didn't. She replied by lifting her arms to link around his neck, and they were brought closer. Leaning in, Katara shut her eyes. She let go of any nervousness he had when she got in close to him. The fact that they were so close without him rejecting her actions, proved she needn't be so nervous anymore. And she pressed closer, lips pressing to his in the familiar close lipped kiss they shared on the alter, mostly to get it over with so they could be wed and the ceremony would be completed. But Katara was ready to try this time. She wanted to make this sensual and meaningful, because she was losing her virginity, and because this meant something. Maybe the event wouldn't just be the special part  
The kiss went on as something so boring and placid, until they both decided they needed to add more to this. She patted her lips into their kiss, her eyes squeezing shut as her arms slid around his neck more and she pulled herself closer to him, their lips interlocking in such a perfect way as they kissed, she felt she was melting into this. His arms around her waist tightened, and one hand lifted to press to the back of her head as if to bring her closer into the kiss, his other hand pressing into the curve of her back, pulling her against him as they kissed.  
Katara had been nervous nonetheless at first, and she had a feeling Zuko hadn't been 100% confident in going through with this either, but Katara had melted into the movements and touches of how this began when their lips met. On of her hands moved from being around his neck to rest on his cheek, on his scar. She grazed the burned skin gently, the kiss breaking slowly and their lips taking moments to be separated from one another, as if they never wanted the contact to end. But they were both too shy at the moment to keep it going. As her fingers gingerly brushed the pink skin of his scar, she noticed his flinch. Not in pain, but almost in shame of how he looked. He'd been burned. It must've been a big thing here for have had that happened. But Katara, well she wasn't from here. The idea of a lost Agni Kai didn't affect how she was thinking about him. She leaned in close to him, and hesitated, before pressing a gentle kiss to the pink of the scar.  
She had felt him tense up again for her, like he was nervous she would hurt him. But he relaxed and even pulled her _closer_ as he realized what she did. She showed affection to a part of him he always thought marked him in a bad way, the scar that twisted his face into a permanent grimace on one side of his face, but ir wasn't how she saw it. She pulled back, and, before she could express how awkward she was about this being her first time, and not knowing what to do, her words were lost in a sudden kiss. A push forward of him, a press of lips on one another so suddenly it surprised her, but she didn't take much time to relax and miss back. It seemed almost as it the second she melted into the kiss his lips where pulled from hers, and planted across her jaw, up the shell of her ear, and then to her neck. Open mouthed kisses trailing down her neck, hot breath puffing from his nose against her skin as he traveled down, and Katara never knew something as simple as lips on her neck or heat billowing around her skin could make her let out this little _whimper_ , because she just wanted _more_.  
Her hands gripped his shoulders, crimson fabric bunched up in her hands as kisses continued down her neck. Small whines escaped her mouth before she could even think to stop them, and her eyes fell shut. The idea that she was with someone she scarcely knew began to drift away; her husband was the one she was with. She knew come morning she would feel different about all this, that she couldn't believe she'd warmed the bed of someone she had only met a few days ago. Of course, she'd remind herself it was not only customary, but mandatory. And Katara knew all too well how deeply those in the fire nation cared about honor; Katara wouldn't have asked him to abandon his views and traditions for his (not even totally wanted) water tribe wife.  
She nearly lost herself in her thoughts, her sense of where she was fogged by pleasure and by the things running through her head, but she soon cleared her thoughts. Regret was going to become tomorrow mornings feeling, because the feeling for tonight was all too good to spoil.  
And with that fresh in her mind, she felt his lips leave her neck, leaving Katara to make a small noise of protest as he left, but he didn't truly leave. He began untying and unclasping and undoing all the elaborate things she had around her and draped over her, and he strewn them aside, his cheeks growing seemingly redder with each article of clothing removed, until she was down to the very thin, very plain robe that had started her dressing earlier today. Her hands went for his clothes as he paused on removing her own, and her gaze lifted to him. To undress each other, to see each other to touch and hold each other, it all seemed so romantic. But all the same, it seemed awkward. It seemed to open and too brazen for their first time together, and especially for their first time at all. At least, it was Katara's. She made a mental note to ask Zuko about when or if he'd previously lost his own, but that was for later. She let him remain clothed (for now), and she pressed closer to him  
She leaned close as if she would kiss him, but their lips never met. Their eyes bored into one another's, but Katara only looked. She let her body press against his, and soon the feeling of them together was the focus. Her breasts pressed to his sternum through thin, silken fabrics, and her hips pressing closer, with the dangerous intent of revealing who was the first to grow excited for the task they'd complete tonight. Katara felt a little smug when she realized that it hadn't been her. Something of a grin appeared, and she felt just a bit of nervousness ebb away, but it seemed to catch onto him. He had his hands planted at her hips and pulling her closer, the rising issue that pressed to Katara's stomach clearly making him desperate, but that didn't keep him from getting embarrassed at how she was playing this, playing him. How did she do this? How did she wrap him around her finger and get him so nervous yet needy? Even she couldn't answer it, but she really did like it.  
A single movement changed everything, and that was Katara's choice to move her hips just slightly against his, which resulted in a soft grunt of what had to be pleasure, judging by the flush of his face that never faded, his head tipped down and hair covering his eyes, and Katara found it so cute how embarrassed he was of some of the most natural things in the world to happen to people in this situation. She moved to get her hips at a better position, and before she knew it, hands slid down her back and her rump, and slid under her thighs, lifting her without a problem. Her legs wrapped around his waist and the waterbender was pressed to the wall by him, his sheepishness showing all too clearly, but through embarrassment he didn't stop or shy away this time. His hands dug into her thighs, pale fingers pressing into mocha colored legs as he held her weight up, and with each movement his hips grazed and brushed and rubbed hers in the most agonizingly amazing of ways, Katara's moans filling the room as speed picked up. Her robe fell like a crimson cape behind her, and her legs spread to wrap around her waist showed her in only her underwrappings, wetness threatening to seep through if this got much more intense. The bulge that formed in his own undergarments was not as easily disguised as a wetness was, and Katara's smugness had returned. She would push her hips forward, before coyly pulling them back, like she didn't know how teasing it was when she brushed against something so sensitive  
He tried to tease her too, to play around with her, but he found himself hating to have to keep his hands off of her soft skin to do so, and the idea was abandoned. He slid an arm around her waist and pressed her into the wall, his other hand resting at the front of her hip, a thumb circling between her thighs, which caused the most impressive moan yet. His hand dipped beneath the underwrappings and he felt a rush and a bit of a tingle as his hands met skin, his thumb grazing a certain cluster of nerves that made Katara's hips buck instinctively forward at that, one hand gripping his shoulder as her other arm hid her face in the crook of her elbow, moans eliciting oh so embarrassingly as his thumb kept circling and brushing over that one spot, before he got a bit rebellious. He undid her intricate wrappings around her thighs and hips, the sight of her bottom half barren giving him something to truly gaze at, and his hand was back to work on her. His thumb slid up along the wet lips of her, dipping between them to tease the entrance of her, before his hand moved to allow a finger inside her, pressing slowly in at first before she became used to the new feeling. He felt enveloped in warmth at his finger when it slid inside, and moved it steadily inside her, another entering only when he was sure she was ready for it, his body pressing closer to hers if only to let his palm press against her stomach as his fingers did their job further below  
Moans escaped her loudly and desperately, and she'd lost any shred of embarrassment about any guards standing outside the doors or at the ends of the halls as she was completely taken by this new pleasure, her head laying back on the wall as she still covered her eyes in her arm. It wasn't until she felt his absence down there did she pull her head from its hiding, and looked to him with a pout. He quirked a little smile at how upset she seemed to lose the work of HIM pleasuring her, and his arms pulling her closer, lips pressing together into a kiss as they moved from their awkward position up against the wall, to the large bed in the room. She was laid back on it, him appearing over her, and he worked the knot of his own robe, letting it finally open with him wearing simply undergartments underneath. He worked to undo the wrappings around her chest, though as he was working, Katara felt the need to involve her spouse in the pleasure. And her hand slid to the hem, slipping inside of the fabric until her fingers brushed skin, and she heard his breath caught in his throat, wrappings hastily moved away from her chest now, letting out a hot puff of a breath as she let her hand delve further, wrapping around and tracing her thumb down the length, noises of approval arousing from her partner as she began to move her hand over him, the twitching hardness becoming so brazen, but she didn't think he cared how obvious he was now; he just wanted her. As Katara's hand moved quicker, and Zuko's hands fell into place at her breasts, fingers and hands brushing and cupping and admiring them on her chest as his breath puffed out, eyes squeezing shut. Finally, the movement stopped, Katara's hand retracted and his eyes opened almost in disbelief, flickering up to her, but when his eyes met hers, oh he knew what the intent was now  
He pressed closer to her so the tip pressed into her, and Katara let out a soft whimper, her hands that had rested on his shoulders gripping his sleeves in anticipation, Zuko's hands at her waist now as he pressed closer. Her hot tightness was slowly enveloping him, and his eyes squeezed shut at the new but so, so amazing feeling, his hips meeting hers. It was only for a moment though, as his hips pulled back, then pressed forward, and back and forward, Katara's squeaks and gasps and whimpers at the first entrance into her was met, but Zuko's lips pressed to her cheeks and her ears and her neck, whispering words of encouragement and praise as they started, pace picking up, though not too much. It was their first time, so nothing would get too passionate, but this seemed to be all they truly needed. He kept his movements going, until they ended with his exit from her, and a dripping warmth on her stomach, moans ripped from them both as they finished, and left them both panting, and laying lazily beside one another as they slid into sleep


	5. Chapter 5

Morning light crept through the shades, and as Katara's eyes fluttered open, she was reminded by the warming light and silken sheets that she wasn't in her tribe, yet again. She was in her new home in the fire nation. A small rush of panic shot like a knife through her belly when she realized there were ARMS around her waist as she lay in her bed; it was a sensation she never new before. Her bed had never been shared with anyone who wasn't simply a friend that squished into her own bed so they wouldn't need anyone to sleep on the floor. No, Katara was confused as to what this was, until memories flooded back to her previously forgetful self. The idea of coming to the fire nation was to be married off to the Fire Prince, in which she was. Katara was awakening from a night of consummating her marriage, which explained the lack of clothing for them both

She felt briefly self conscious of being nude in bed with someone, but the thought did occur to her that this was the same person who'd pleasured her naked form last night; who took her into his arms and paid more attention to her body than anyone ever had. He'd treated her kindly and gently, she remembered. He truly knew or assumed to be on the safe side that this was her first time, and she needed to go slow. He didn't want to hurt her. That last thought was what made her snuggled back into his arms more, her back pressed to his bare chest as she lay beneath the covers, eyes half lidded as he held her, but she had no intent of falling back asleep. Likewise, she had no intent of getting up either. She never thought something so simple could be so warming and intimate. Her mind was mostly on how embarrassed he might be when he awoke

She found his sheepishness and slight shyness incredibly cute, and despite it being a word most people used to describe their pets, she meant it in an attractive way. It was nice, being with someone who wasn't so confident and didn't act so perfect all the time to impress her. He was perfectly imperfect in all the perfect ways possible, and she truly found herself loving it. She wondered for a moment, if embarrassment would've faded. Maybe being more comfortable with her, he'd just be a tired person in the morning who held her closer and asked how she slept and refused to let her leave the bed they shared in the most gentle but loving and longing way; and Katara found herself loving whatever depiction of him she thought up. Truthfully, she felt she'd grow on him more no matter what

And only a few minutes of Katara enjoying the blissful peace of laying in his arms did he wake up, his arms still lazily around her. He flushed a little as he felt her moving, and she turned to face him in bed, a small smile on her face as she looked at Zuko, and he gave her a little, almost sheepish smile as they gazed at each other. He seemed a little flustered, but that was just Zuko for you. "How'd you sleep?" he asked her quietly, his cheeks not losing their red color, but he seemingly ignored it and pulled her a little closer, pressing a kiss to her forehead. She couldn't tell whether it was out of shyness, or out of trying not to kiss her so intimately in case she would be uncomfortable with that now that the intimacy part of the marriage had finished

And that thought hit her like a rock

The intimacy of their marriage had ended, and most arranged marriages stopped with any true romance here. Most people were unhappy in their marriage and wanted to consummate it and be done with it, to serve their true purpose after they finished that task they found so bad. But Katara didn't find last night bad at all; not one bit. Judging by how Zuko greeted her with all a blush, a little smile, and an almost nervous kiss to her forehead, she safely assumed he felt the same way. But the difficult part was she wouldn't know if she didn't ask. This was an arranged marriage. What if Katara was the only one truly feeling any connection beginning, and Zuko had just wanted to finish last night? He couldn't possibly.. the way he acted.. it hurt her to think about. She felt the need to nuzzle closer to him, forehead pressed to his chest. "I slept well." she answered, just remembering she'd taken a little longer than she probably should have to think about such a simple question, but she couldn't help it. Her mind was buzzing with thoughts of other, more serious things at the moment.

"Zuko?" she asked quietly, heart thumping in her chest. Normally, she would give something like this more thought before just blurting it out for an immediate reply wonders, but she had to. It was something she needed to know now, before it was too late. Regardless of any timeline, she needed to know for her own well being. All these feelings were arising, and if they weren't reciprocated, she would be wasting her time. "Yes?" he answered, looking down to the top of her head as her forehead remained pressed to his chest, even as she spoke. She didn't think she'd be able to look him in the eyes while she asked this, because it was a little embarrassing. Even if Zuko didn't feel such a way like she did, she had a feeling he was a good enough friend to comfort her and help her rid herself of any embarrassment for proclaiming her romantic feelings to someone who didn't feel the same way about her.

"Last night... is that going to be the only time we do something like that?" she asked, voice growing soft so she could speak steadily and get everything out at once, like ripping off a band-aid. Katara grew concerned when he hadn't answered for a moment or so; was he trying to not act so awkward or weird about hearing her ask that? She lifted her head to meet his eyes, only to find a very embarrassed Zuko blushing and trying to give her an answer, and his state made her giggle. He frowned a little, resting his forehead against hers. "Quit laughing at me." He told her, though not in any demanding or defensive tone, but in his pouty little almost angsty tone, as if he was embarrassed yet still trying to make her laugh. "I'm laughing with you." she insisted with a chuckle, and she smiled a bit more as she gazed at him. "You know, you're cute when you pout." She complimented him, which only resulted in a more red faced Zuko, but he smiled a little. "Really?" he murmured quietly, and she nodded at him. "You're question.. from before i mean.. what you asked at first I.. I-I don't think I'd have a problem doing something like that again." He murmured in his nervous little stuttering tone, which Katara added to the list of cute things he did. It would be a long list when finished, because she just kept finding things to love about him. She wondered what things he found exceptionally great or worth loving about her? As tempted as she was to insist that there was nothing, she knew he wouldn't be like this around her if he didn't truly care. She made a mental note to do that in the future; she could just see the blush about him reminiscing about the things he loved about her now.


End file.
